Manager Richard Styles is after a reaction from Whitstable following their midweek defeat.

The Oystermen lost 2-0 at home on Tuesday to Bearsted in the Southern Counties East Premier Division.

They are still looking for a first win on their new 3G pitch and will play host to fifth-placed Rusthall this Saturday.

On whether he expected a response from his troops, Styles said: “Yeah of course, without a shadow of a doubt. The players will expect that from each other.

“We definitely want an improved performance. We want to go back to playing the way we can.”

Whitstable conceded two second-half goals in five minutes against Bearsted.

Styles reflected: “We were not happy with it. It was a disappointing result and a disappointing performance.

“We had spells and stages in the game. We hit the bar and got into places where we should have made better decisions.

"But we didn’t play to our full potential, we let ourselves down. I take responsibility for that. Now, it’s about moving on.”

Styles says the ability of his squad is not in question, though.

On what they still need to work on, he stated: “A little bit of everything. There’s new personnel coming in and it’s about getting them working together.

“We need to be a little bit relentless and a little bit clinical as well - that’s how we need to be.

"The players’ ability is not in question, we know what we have got. It’s about them doing it on the pitch.”

Since returning to The Belmont and playing on their new surface, Styles’ side have played two and lost two.

The manager accepts they are already seeing opposition raise their game but added: “That’s no surprise, we expected that - teams to up their game.

“But we have to be better than what we were on Tuesday. We have to make our ground a fortress.”

Rusthall are a point better off than Whitstable, although they’ve played one game more and lost 1-0 to newly-promoted Stansfeld, who are second, on Tuesday.

“Every game is tough in this league,” said Styles. “You need to work hard. This game will be no different.

“I have had tough games against Rusthall in the past and I’m expecting another tough game on Saturday.”